Thought I Was A Good Brewer...

[caveman]

G'day all,

Well, Ive just become a member of aussieHB and i'm astonished reading the different forums.

In fact i'm blown away.

I've been brewing for a couple of years, all different kits, with the addition of hops and other things, and I thought i had it all down pat.

Then i read the stuff you guys are talking about. What does it all mean? How much better can homebrew get get?

I feel like i've been missing out on something all this time. By the sound of it I should be getting on the All Grain Train.

BUT HOW????

I don't understand half the stuff you guys talk about. HELP

 

[Borret]

G'day all,

Well, Ive just become a member of aussieHB and i'm astonished reading the different forums.

In fact i'm blown away.

I've been brewing for a couple of years, all different kits, with the addition of hops and other things, and I thought i had it all down pat.

Then i read the stuff you guys are talking about. What does it all mean? How much better can homebrew get get?

I feel like i've been missing out on something all this time. By the sound of it I should be getting on the All Grain Train.

BUT HOW????

I don't understand half the stuff you guys talk about. HELP

[post="73650"][/post]​

Hi Caveman,

Welcome aboard. As you have noticed their is a wealth of knowledge floating around on here. I will jump in first and give you the link to a valuable reaource that is How to brew. This is a great book that you can read for free online explaining the technique and theories behind both Extract and AG brewing and how to get started. This is probaby the best place to start, aswell as looking around on here and you will be surprised how fast your knowledge will grow. Feel free to ask questions anytime as someone will always jump in and help.

All the best

Borret

 

[GMK]

Borret is right...next best thing is to find an All Grainer nearby and get around there when he brews all grain next...

Best experience.

There must be some AHBers that live near you and do all grain.

 

[sosman]

Caveman,

I put up a few notes when I was fumbling around with my first partial mashes and all grain batches.

http://brewiki.org/PartialMash

http://brewiki.org/AllGrain

And of course if you don't already have some brewing software, please feel free to go check out Brewsta at sourceforge.

 

[pint of lager]

It gets better.

You have been brewing for a while, but make sure you have the basics right.

Sanitation, every surface that comes into contact must be cleaned and sanitised.

Fermentation temps, most kit beers are best at round 20-21 deg C.

Use good ingredients, go along to your brewshop, usually (not aways) the person behind the counter is a wealth of good info and has excellent product to sell you.

Join a club.

As well as the excellent online book by John Palmer already posted, read the airlocked articles here.

Google is your friend.

 

[Jye]

Hey caveman

I found this to be a good site when reading up on AG.

Link

Jye :beerbang:

 

[pint of lager]

If you like instant coffee over freshly crushed beans and freshly brewed coffee, if you like cheddar sliced cheese rather than the choice of all the cheeses in the world, if your only version of curry comes out of a small tin, then maybe all grain is not for you.

All grain brews take a lot more time, knowledge, specialist gear and effort from the brewer. The reward is in the glass.

If you do not have the time, then there are some excellent kits on the market. as well as some not so excellent.

Another way of sampling all grain brewing, is the ESB fresh wort kits. Dead easy all grain brewing, just pour into the fermenter, aerate, pitch your yeast and go.

Or brew a few partial mashes, put them with kits, or with plain extract and bittering hops. They can be made with gear that you may already have lying around. You can even leave out the extract, and do a small all grain batch rather than adding any extract.

 

[muga]

pour into the fermenter, aerate, pitch your yeast and go.

[post="73717"][/post]​

I have used the ESB fresh wort kits but have never aerated the wort before pitching the yeast and they have come out fine. What's the difference if I aerate the wort and how do i do it? (assuming an aquarium pump with airstone on it...?)

 

[bonk]

Muga,

another way would be to pour it between to fermentors/buckets. i've used a sanitised whisk with out to much problem.

 

[PostModern]

What's the difference if I aerate the wort

[post="73718"][/post]​

The yeast get a better start. The oxygen lets them build stronger cell walls, so they can reproduce more effectively. You should then be able to put another beer on the same pitching of yeast and know that the yeast are still healthy.

Oh, moving this thread to the Pub.

 

[caveman]

G'day all,

Well, Ive just become a member of aussieHB and i'm astonished reading the different forums.

In fact i'm blown away.

I've been brewing for a couple of years, all different kits, with the addition of hops and other things, and I thought i had it all down pat.

Then i read the stuff you guys are talking about. What does it all mean? How much better can homebrew get get?

I feel like i've been missing out on something all this time. By the sound of it I should be getting on the All Grain Train.

BUT HOW????

I don't understand half the stuff you guys talk about. HELP

[post="73650"][/post]​

Hi Caveman,

Welcome aboard. As you have noticed their is a wealth of knowledge floating around on here. I will jump in first and give you the link to a valuable reaource that is How to brew. This is a great book that you can read for free online explaining the technique and theories behind both Extract and AG brewing and how to get started. This is probaby the best place to start, aswell as looking around on here and you will be surprised how fast your knowledge will grow. Feel free to ask questions anytime as someone will always jump in and help.

All the best

Borret

[post="73654"][/post]​

G'day Borret and all the other guys,

Thanks for jumping on with the welcome and the quick reply. :beer:

There certainly is alot to read about and its easy to get to real hooked.

Is anyone out there in the Hervey Bay area into AG brewing who wants a hand with their next brew?

Cheers

Caveman

 

[caveman]

If you like instant coffee over freshly crushed beans and freshly brewed coffee, if you like cheddar sliced cheese rather than the choice of all the cheeses in the world, if your only version of curry comes out of a small tin, then maybe all grain is not for you.

All grain brews take a lot more time, knowledge, specialist gear and effort from the brewer. The reward is in the glass.

If you do not have the time, then there are some excellent kits on the market. as well as some not so excellent.

Another way of sampling all grain brewing, is the ESB fresh wort kits. Dead easy all grain brewing, just pour into the fermenter, aerate, pitch your yeast and go.

Or brew a few partial mashes, put them with kits, or with plain extract and bittering hops. They can be made with gear that you may already have lying around. You can even leave out the extract, and do a small all grain batch rather than adding any extract.

[post="73717"][/post]​

Pint of lager,

Thanks for the tip bloke.

What is ESB wort kit?

Caveman

 

[bradmcm]

http://www.esbeer.com.au
Click on Beer Packs, then 3kg.

 

[redbeard]

or even click on the Fresh Wort Kits on esbeer.com.au
or check the Retail Shop forum for specials on wort kits from other friendly lhbs

 

[buddingbrewmaster]

I'm still an extract brewer and am looking for a good pilsner urquell clone just a bit stronger in flavour and alcohol. i'm thinking about
3kg of black rock pale malt extract
500gm of light DME
30gm Saaz for 60 min
40gm saaz for 15 min
30gm saaz for 5 min
and some irish moss for 30 min
And use saflager w34/70
I love full flavoured hoppy beers i wouldn't mind it more hoppy than urquell. Would this recipe produce the beer i'm after. And are there any specialty grains that i could steep to give it a nicer malt flavour. Any help would be great. I just signed up to this site today. And where is the best home brew store in melbourne, both with range and price.
Cheers.

 

[Ross]

Caveman,

if you ever get down to brizzy, just give a few days notice & gladly put on an AG demo for you - Generally brew about twice a week..
Just beware - AG brewing becomes a serious obsession

 

[warrenlw63]

G'day and welcome on board Buddingbrewmaster.

Your recipe sounds good. However just a couple of points. Try and find the freshest malt extract you can get your hands on. Not saying Black Rock isn't however coming from NZ could mean that it sits on the HB store shelves for some time. :unsure: Ask the HB store proprietor which brand is most likely the freshest, particularly in something as delicate as a Pils. Even handier if the malt extract has the manufactured date on it.

Also your hops are good, however given the AAU levels of Saaz your beer isn't really going to be as bitter as Pilsner Urquell. Just at a guess that amount of Saaz is going to give you a beer that is about 25-30 IBUs. Maybe use a hop with a higher alpha acid content for your first addition @ 60 mins. Try and get some Northern Brewer or Perle from your HBS. Then add Saaz as the next two additions. You will find your overall perception of bitterness is increased.

For example;

30gm Perle for 60 min
40gm saaz for 15 min
30gm saaz for 5 min

Hope this helps. :beerbang:

Also, try and maintain your fermentation temps as close to about 10-12 degrees as you possibly can.

Warren -

 

[buddingbrewmaster]

cheers warren thanks for the advice so your'e saying the malt content is good. I hear all about people with brewing fridges how do they set up a fridge with temperature control of a range from 10 degree to about 20. Do you buy one or modify it yourself. I'm from the northern suburbs too (Coburg) which HBS do you use or reccommend.

 

[warrenlw63]

Buddingbrewmaster.

Freshness of malt extract is paramount. Older extract darkens your beer and leaves what could only be described as stale flavours too.

Yes fridge thermostats are good. You need one that goes from say, 5c to about 20c. Got mine from Grain and Grape IIRC cost was about the $100 mark. Good investment if you intend to make lagers or brew ales in summer.

BTW We're almost neighbours. I'm in Pascoe Vale South. :beerbang:

Warren -

 

[shmick]

G'day and welcome on board Buddingbrewmaster.

Your recipe sounds good. However just a couple of points. Try and find the freshest malt extract you can get your hands on. Not saying Black Rock isn't however coming from NZ could mean that it sits on the HB store shelves for some time. :unsure: Ask the HB store proprietor which brand is most likely the freshest, particularly in something as delicate as a Pils. Even handier if the malt extract has the manufactured date on it.


Warren -

[post="74387"][/post]​

You can quite often get bulk liquid extract also.
I used to get it from a LHBS for about $4 a kg (compared to $10/kg in a tin).
I just took my own bucket and he filled it from a 50l(?) drum.
He sold a fair bit of it so he always reckoned it was fresher than the tins.
He didn't know all the specs either but they would have been meaningless to me then anyway.

The only drama I ever had was leaving a very full bucket in a warm car boot for an hour before driving home. It popped the lid off and made a break for it.
Amazing propensity for thermal expansion that stuff.
It rode up front with the air-con from then on.